A pianist who aimed to raise £1,000 for each of her instrument’s 88 keys, has achieved her goal. Margaret Fingerhut set out on her fundraising journey in 2019, performing in 32 venues across the UK with a recital programme entitled Far from the home I love. Her tour also included a live-streamed concert Let us be together, performed during lockdown.
The music in her concerts included a specially commissioned piece ‘Memories from my land’ by Kurdish refugee composer, Moutaz Arian, who also wrote the Refugee Nation Anthem for the 2016 Olympics.
Within her programme, too, was music by composers who found themselves away from their homeland, including Rachmaninov and Prokofiev, both of whom left Soviet Russia for the US.
The money raised has gone to City of Sanctuary UK, and the network of over 120 local groups around the country who are working across their communities to build a culture of welcome for refugees and asylum seekers.
‘The pandemic has hit many people hard,’ says Fingerhut, ‘but none more so than people seeking asylum, many of whom have not been able to access the internet or even buy adequate food for their young families.’
To donate to Fingerhut’s charity, visit www.givey.com/margaretfingerhut